Watch CBS News

Consumers Flooded With Enhanced Water Products, But Which Are Best?

CHICAGO (CBS) – On store shelves these days, there is water to help you sleep, water to keep you awake, water to lose weight, water to provide important vitamins we all need.

CBS 2's Kris Gutierrez asks: Are these special waters really worth the money?

And what's wrong with regular water?

"To be honest, there's nothing wrong with regular water," says Clinical Nutritionist Heather Rasmussen of Rush University Medical Center, who helped evaluate the various options consumers have.

Some bottled waters cost as much as $3.

"That's crazy, why do that?" consumer Jane Fitzpatrick says.

A 2.5-ounce container of Dream Water claims to help people sleep by mixing the compounds GABA, melatonin and 5-HTP.

Rasmussen says  melatonin supplements may help you sleep better, but there's nothing to support the idea that using all three compounds together is effective.

"Rather than relying on this, which is going to be $2 to $3 a bottle, it makes more sense to change other factors in your life that are going to be helpful as well," she says.

Her suggestions: Exercise, or eliminate distractions while trying to rest.

Then there's VitaminWater.  The popularity seems to be growing.

But regular VitaminWater has 120 calories and 32 grams or 8 teaspoons of sugar.  The "Zero" option has natural sweeteners and no calories.  Both have Vitamin C, B vitamins,  manganese and electrolytes.

But all are nutrients you could get in a healthy meal.

Skinny Water has Citramax but there's no solid evidence, says Rasmussen, that it impacts cravings to help curb your appetite.

Then, there's coconut water, usually around 60 calories a serving.

Rasmussen says it's OK, in moderation.

Other waters have potassium added because it's an electrolyte and could be helpful to people who work out.

"If you are exercising for about an hour at a time at moderate intensity, then it may be useful to have some sort of beverage that has electrolytes added," Rasmussen says.

Caffeinated water is like drinking coffee, but you don't get coffee's beneficial phytochemicals.

So is this bottled-water craze really worth it?

"I would say that tap water, filtered water, is the number-one best thing for people," Rasmussen says.

FULL COMPANY STATEMENTS

DREAM WATER:

"Dream Water's blend of these 3 active ingredients have helped 10s of thousands of people to date get much needed rest and relaxation. There is a tremendous amount of research supporting the rest and relaxation benefits of each of these 3 ingredients, at least some of which can be found at the following link:  http://www.drinkdreamwater.com/natural-standard."

AVITAE CAFFEINATED WATER:

"We actually don't view coffee as a competitor and are certainly not trying to replace them at all.  In fact, we consistently preach the health qualities of black coffee and are a great complimentary drink to boost coffee shop sales (after all, coffee drinkers typically stop drinking coffee mid-morning and need a pick me up in the afternoon, not to mention if they're exercising or the weather is hot…and how about people who simply don't like the taste of coffee but are at a meeting at Starbucks!)  Where we do have an issue with coffee is when people add tons of sugar, sugar alternatives, or cream to make it drinkable. The bottom line is that we're trying to give people a healthy alternative to sugary beverages(whatever they may be, sodas, energy drinks, etc) while still providing that extra kick from the caffeine."

SKINNY WATER:

"Skinny Water's® goal is to provide consumers with a great tasting functional water containing key electrolytes, antioxidants, vitamins with ZERO calories, ZERO sugar, ZERO sodium, ZERO carbohydrates and containing no preservatives, with all natural colors and flavors. Our Crave Control Raspberry Pomegranate water contains Super Citrimax and we've received countless email testimonials from consumers saying that the product has aided them in their quest to maintain and lose weight.  Additionally, several clinical trials have been run by Interhealth, the manufacturer of Super Citrimax, that support the effectiveness of citrimax at the right levels.  While we make no claims about our product as an appetite suppressant or that our product will deliver results, our goal is to inspire consumers to make healthier choices throughout the day, and consuming water and zero calorie functional water like Skinny Water is just one key part of the overall mix."

 

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.